GREAT BARRIER REEF.
GREEN ISLAND – FITZROY ISLAND – HERON ISLAND – LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND – LADY ELLIOT ISLAND – NORTH WEST ISLAND.
Stretching along the Far North Queensland coastline, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system and one of Australia’s most iconic natural wonders. From vibrant coral gardens and tropical islands to unforgettable snorkelling and diving experiences, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is so min-blowingly abundant with marine life and natural beauty that its easy to see how its earned it’s acclaimed status. Whether you’re island-hopping, cruising the reef, or diving beneath the surface, this underwater ecosystem is an absolute bucket-list experience.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting 7 of these absolutely magnificent islands so far. From Cairns, the main gateway to the GBR, there’s been stays at Green Island and Fitzroy Resort and day tripped to Moore Reef. Meanwhile from Bundaberg and Gladstone, I’ve stayed at Heron Island Resort, visited Lady Elliot Island for a day and wilderness camped for 7 days on Lady Musgrave Island and and 11 days on North West Island.
Each of these places offered a vastly different experience, so if you’re in the midst of figuring out which one of these northern or southern Great Barrier Reef island destinations is for you, you’ve come to the right place!
Heron Island.
Part of a cluster of the 11 islands of the Capricornia Cays in the southern Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island is just one of two lovely eco-resorts offering visitors the chance to have phenomenal wildlife encounters, snorkelling and diving with the likes of turtles, sharks and rays while having all the creature comforts of civilisation right on their doorstep. Plus, if you time your visit right, you can also have other incredible experiences, like seeing green and loggerhead turtles nest and hatch and snorkelling with migrating humpback whales.
Lady Musgrave Island.
As the second southernmost coral cay of the illustrious Great Barrier Reef, the monumental 344,400 km2 underwater ecosystem that’s home to the most intensely rich biodiverse marine environment in the world, Lady Musgrave Island has some incredibly prolific credentials and outstanding opportunities for seeing marine animals in their natural environment.
Lady Elliot Island.
Lady Elliot Island is a spectacular coral cay and the southernmost island of the magnificent Great Barrier Reef, the most complex and biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world, occupying a massive 348,700 km2 of ocean off Queensland’s extensive coastline.
Renowned for its incredible snorkelling opportunities to see majestic sea turtles and friendly reef sharks in its glistening aquamarine and azure blue waters, you can visit this outstanding ecological hotspot from 5 top-notch south coast destinations: Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Agnes Waters/1770, Brisbane (Redcliffe) and the Gold Coast.
North West Island.
Featuring the same vividly blue azure coloured tidal lagoons, stunning white sandy beaches and magnificent coral formations years thousands of years in the making, where this place becomes well and truly into its own league, because unlike Heron’s eco-resort and Lady Musgrave’s day trip visits and floating pontoon accommodation, there is absolutely nothing on North West Island except a rustic campground and no one visiting except those who love exploring hidden gems hardly anyone knows about.
